


You're the One I Dream Of

by NeptuneToPluto



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: 2015 era, But mostly angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Mutual Pining, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-26 02:15:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15653682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeptuneToPluto/pseuds/NeptuneToPluto
Summary: Tessa and Scott navigate "outside relationships." Maybe for one last time.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another 2015-era fic. So of course there will be angst, angst, and more angst, but hopefully with some fluff thrown in as well! I hope you enjoy!

As the evening rush hour traffic slowly makes its way to a halt on the 401, Tessa begins to feel an unusual sense of anger rise in her; an anger for the cars ahead (why does everybody need to stop and look at the car with a flat on the side of the road?), an anger for her boyfriend – if she could even call him that – who always seemed to have an excuse for not making the trip to visit her in London, and an anger for her current life. 

After the Sochi Olympics, she thought she’d revel in her freedom away from competitive skating. She could focus on school and get her degree, she could skate when she wanted as opposed to when a training schedule told her to skate, and she could finally make a go at having a truly healthy friendship with her skating partner. Just over a year later, none of those aspirations have panned out as she’d hoped. Although she did get one step closer to obtaining her bachelor’s degree by completing a full semester at Western the previous fall, she quickly became disillusioned with campus life and retreated back to her 3-4 credit per semester pace. 

She wasn’t skating when she wanted either. Whenever she did want to skate Scott always seemed to be off with Kaitlyn in Winnipeg or Japan or wherever else he followed her to. Work on their show programs seems to have taken a permanent backseat. As a result, her plans to have a healthy friendship with Scott seem to have taken a backseat as well. She was spiraling, or at the very least, becoming uncomfortably stagnant.

Upon finally arriving to Ryan’s building, Tessa makes her way up to his apartment and opens the door to his apartment using the newly copied key he’d given her. She hears a rush of voices as she swings the door open to see Ryan in the living room with several of his friends, beers in hand, watching a Habs-Senators game.

“Hey Tessa’s here!” shouts one of his friends.

Ryan, remaining in his seat, turns to the front door. “Hey baby, you’re just in time for the third period.” Tessa stays where she is, her anger from earlier returning. “Well are you coming in or what?”

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Tessa struggles to keep her voice under control.

“Can it wait? The game’s almost back.”

“No. Now, please.”

His friends make jeering noises as she hears one of them say, “Oh somebody’s in trouble.”

Ryan huffs. “Fine but let’s make it quick, okay?” 

Tessa leads him into the hallway and turns around to face him. “I thought we were going to dinner.”

“We will! Me and my buddies have been dying to try out that new pub down the street and I thought you could join us.”

Tessa feels a tear prick her eye as her anger grew. “Ryan, we haven’t seen each other in over two weeks and you know I have to be back in London early tomorrow.”

“We’ll still have time to talk and all that, there’ll just be a few other people around. It’s not a big deal. Come on, let’s get back in; the game should be back now.” Ryan grabs her hand but Tessa doesn’t budge. “Baby, come on. The game’s back.”

Tessa feels the tear escapes. “Actually, I think I’m just going to head back,” she says softly.

“Why are you crying? It’s not a big deal. You’re going to be back here on Wednesday anyway, right?”

Tessa couldn’t take this anymore as her anger, which is somewhat of a foreign feeling for her, bubbles to the surface. Subconsciously she probably knew where the relationship was headed for a long time but in this moment she knows she’s reached the end of her rope.

The rush of words comes out in a jumble. “I can’t do this, Ryan. I really can’t. You know how busy I am, and I know you’re busy too, but in the entire year we’ve been together you’ve been to London all of two times, maybe three. And you haven’t even seen me skate! I’ve skated in shows literally 10 minutes from your apartment and you still make up excuses for why you can’t go.”

“Hang on, so maybe I haven’t been to London as many times as you’ve been to Toronto but you know damn well why I don’t want to watch you skate. I’m not fighting about this again.”

“This isn’t even about Scott! This about you and me! Skating is and always will be a huge part of my life and the fact that you don’t even make an effort to learn about it is just plain sad. I’m sick of the driving and I’m sick of the effort I’m giving you that you don’t even try to reciprocate. I’m done.”

With tears beginning to flow Tessa spins his key off her keyring, places it in his hand, and turns back toward the elevator bank. He doesn’t come after her.

 

Driving through the Ilderton town limits early the next morning, Tessa feels a welcome sense of relief settle over her. Ever since she was a child, simply being in Ilderton always brought a feeling of safety, as if the hectic world that surrounded it couldn’t touch her while she was here. The events from last night dissipate from her mind as she drives through the sleeping town.

She parks outside the ice arena just as the sun began to peek over the trees. Before opening the car door she checks her mirror to make sure the concealer she’d applied around her eyes was holding up against the puffy redness threatening to break through. Grabbing her skate bag, Tessa makes her way through the unlocked doors and over to a bench near the boards to lace up.

Scott was already on the ice warming up, seemingly not having noticed Tessa walk in. She silently watches him as she ties her laces. 

Hearing the rink door open, Scott turns to see his partner placing her guards on the boards as she steps onto the ice. He quickly glides over and envelops her in a signature Scott Moir bear hug.

“Hey T,” he breathes into her hair. Tessa wonders if he can already sense her sadness. “Longtime no see!” He pulls back slightly as if to get a good look at her.

Tessa bristles slightly at the comment. _And whose fault is that_ , she thinks to herself. 

“I know. We’ve got some catching up to do, Moir!” 

The development of their show programs is slightly behind where they’d like them to be as Stars on Ice approaches. They’ve performed the programs a few times already this year but they still need plenty of work before they’re tour-ready. 

Scott takes Tessa’s hand and they quickly fall into sync as they skate their warmup laps. 

He slows them to a stop and grabs his water bottle. “So I was thinking we could focus on ‘Good Kisser’ today. I feel like the transitions are still a bit sticky on my part. How does that sound?”

Tessa feels her breath hitch. Skating to a sex song is about the last thing she needs today. Although skating to a broken love song doesn’t sound all that appealing either, so “Good Kisser” it is. 

“Sure. Let’s start from the top and go from there.”

Scott presses play as Tessa gets into position. As the opening notes drift through the empty arena, Tessa focuses on her movements as she moves through her solo choreography at center ice. 

Scott watches her intently from the end of the rink, waiting for his cue. He nearly misses it but quickly glides to stand close behind his partner and begins to move with her. He doesn’t take his eyes off her as he gently runs his hand along her leggings from her calf to her hip. Tessa lets out a small gasp but keeps her focus. 

Usher’s voice continues to fill the arena as they skate. Moving into their first lift, Tessa’s hand slips slightly from Scott’s shoulder but he’s quick to grab her as she repositions herself. He whispers “I’ve got you,” as they finish the shaky lift. He sets her down gently.

“Can we take a quick break and then reset?” Tessa asks in a low voice. 

“Sure. Hey listen, are you okay? You seem a little off today,” Scott mentions as he turns the music off. Tessa notes the concern in his voice as she skates back to the boards. She sighs.

“Yeah it’s not a big deal or anything but I think Ryan and I broke up last night.” She tries to keep the tears from last night at bay.

“Holy shit, T! Come here.” Scott wraps his arms tightly around her waist and shoulders and buries his face in her neck as Tessa feels several tears threatening to escape. “Are you okay? What did he do?”

Tessa draws back slightly to give him an amused look through her watery eyes. “Why do you assume he did something? I’m perfectly capable of messing up a relationship all on my own, you know.” 

Scott sighs. “No, you aren’t Tess. Trust me. In your case if a relationship ends, I can guarantee you it’s the guy’s fault.” Scott furrows his eyebrows as his mind briefly drifts. “So what happened?”

Tessa gives him the rundown of last night’s events. Scott’s eyebrows furrowing once again as she describes her unreciprocated trips to Toronto along with Ryan’s apparent aversion to her skating.

“That’s such bullshit. He should’ve been supporting you no matter what!” Scott runs his hands through his hair in frustration. “You deserve someone a million times better than that. You know what, I’m glad you dumped his ass, T.”

Tessa laughs, feeling as if a weight’s been lifted off her shoulders as she views the breakup through Scott’s perspective. 

They choose to ignore the fact that Scott has once again unintentionally played a minor role in one of Tessa’s breakups, just as he has for every one of her previous breakups. And just as Tessa has in every one of Scott’s. 

Tessa dries her eyes and takes a sip from her water bottle. Scott looks at her, concern reappearing in his eyes. 

“Are you sure you’re okay? We can call it quits for today and hang out at my place if you want.”

“I’m good. Thanks for listening.” She smiles up at him and takes a deep breath. “Come on, let’s keep going. We’re already so behind. Stars on Ice is going to sneak up on us, I know it!”  



	2. Chapter 2

Scott nervously wrings his hands as he checks the arrivals board for the third time. The flight from Winnipeg should be landing any minute now. He doesn’t quite know why he’s so nervous. He and Kaitlyn have been going strong for just over a year now. He wasn’t even this nervous for their first date. _Come on Moir, it’s just Kait_.

He waits impatiently near the baggage carousel and is about to check the board for a fourth time when he hears a familiar, “Scotty!”

“Kait!” He spins around and sees her jogging over. He closes the distance and wraps her in his arms. Her familiar scent calms his nerves.

“How was the flight?” he asks as he loosens his hold.

“It was good! No seatmate for once, so that was nice. I'm just so glad to see you!" She wraps her arms around him once again. "Are we heading straight to the arena or is there time to stop at the hotel?”

“Well I’ve got to get back to the ACC for practice but how about I drop you off at the hotel and then you can walk over when you’re ready. It’s just a block away.”

“Sounds great,” she says as she nuzzles her head against his shoulder.

Scott’s nerves have all but dissipated now that she's here. _What was I even nervous about?_ he thinks as he wraps an arm loosely around his girlfriend's shoulders.

 

The tour had been going great so far, despite him and Tessa’s late start on their programs. The tour’s been better than great, actually. The cast is filled with skaters he’s practically grown up with, the group numbers are far more bearable than some in years past, and even the twenty minute dream program courtesy of Kurt has been a fun change in pace.

Most of all, Scott feels he and Tessa are on the road to recovery after almost a year of drifting apart. After Sochi they knew they were going to take a step back from their partnership to gain some life experience as individuals but looking back, maybe quitting each other cold-turkey wasn’t the right move. 

Scott steps back onto the ice after dropping Kaitlyn off at the hotel, looking for his partner. He spots Tessa near the far corner animatedly talking to Patrick. He notices how relaxed she looks. It’s been just over a month since her breakup and she’s been thriving. He likes to think he’s at least part of the reason for that but he knows it’s primarily due to the fact that his partner is the strongest person he knows.

He skates over to the duo, clapping Chiddy on the back as he approaches. Tessa gives him a soft smile and asks how Kaitlyn’s flight was.

“It was good. She should be stopping by in a bit to watch practice.”

“Cool! I don’t know what plans the two of you have planned already but Patrick and I were just talking about grabbing a drink at that rooftop bar down the road later on if you guys want to join us.”

Scott thinks for a moment. He and Kaitlyn don’t really have too much planned for tonight – she’ll be with him for a few more stops of the tour – but she and Tessa haven’t really spent much time together. They’ve exchanged pleasantries and small talk at a few events over the past year but haven’t progressed much farther than that. Scott feels his nerves from earlier return.

“Uh sure, yeah, we can do that! We were thinking of grabbing dinner but can we join you after?”

Tessa and Scott continue to warm up while other skaters’ music plays. They’re stroking around the perimeter, waiting for their turn, when Scott looks up and sees Kaitlyn sitting a couple rows up from the ice. He and Tessa both smile and wave at her but continue skating; even though they aren’t competing anymore, they take their effort in show skating just as seriously. 

A few minutes later it’s their turn. They’ve opted to practice their Sam Smith program today. They get into their opening positions as the first chords of piano echo through the arena. 

As they glide into their closing positions several minutes later, Scott hears a smattering of applause from the few people in the stands and looks up to see Kaitlyn with her face scrunched, as if she’s deep in thought. 

He and Tessa take a quick bow then he skates over to where Kaitlyn’s sitting while Tessa takes her cool-down laps. 

“So, what did you think?” Scott asks as he comes to stop in front of her. 

Kaitlyn relaxes her face and says, “That was… that was something. I forget how much emotion you two can bring on the ice. It was really good though, babe!”

Scott tries not to dwell on her hesitation. He knows his on-ice chemistry with his partner can be uncomfortable for any off-ice partners he’s had but Kaitlyn’s been so cool about not letting it affect her so far. She has a self-confidence that he’s never seen in any of his previous girlfriends. It’s one of the things he loves most about her, if he’s being honest.

“Thanks babe. Hey so Tessa and Chiddy –“As he’s speaking Tessa skates over and stands beside Scott.

“Kaitlyn, hi! It’s been a while! I hope your flight was alright,” Tessa says sweetly.

“It was good! And great job by the way with the program. I know Scott’s been saying you’ve been having some trouble with that one,” Kaitlyn responds with a soft smile.

They exchange a few more pleasantries before Tessa leaves the couple alone to take off her skates. Scott watches her intently as she puts her guards on.

“Anyway, Scott you were saying something?” Kaitlyn asks.

Scott snaps back to the woman in front of him. “Right, so T and Chiddy and maybe a few others are going to a rooftop bar down the street and were wondering if we’d like to join them after dinner.”

Kaitlyn hesitates for a moment but agrees. “Sure! Sounds fun.”

 

Scott watches the headlights of the cars pass by and wraps an arm loosely around Kaitlyn’s shoulders as the walk toward the bar. He glances down at her. “You sure you want to do this? I know you’ve had a long day.”

“Of course! It’s been forever since I’ve seen everyone.”

Scott nods his head, his nerves creeping up again (seriously, why is he so anxious today?).

The couple takes the stairs up to the roof and Scott immediately spots Tessa standing near the railing, holding a cocktail, laughing with Patrick and Eric. She’s practically glowing under the Toronto city lights. 

Scott leads Kaitlyn by the hand over to the group.

“Hey, you guys made it!” Patrick says, giving a quick hug to Kaitlyn.

“This one decided he absolutely had to have the lobster,” Kaitlyn points at Scott with her thumb. “But I don’t think he realized it would take over an hour to cook,” she adds with a laugh.

Scott smiles sheepishly. He turns his attention to Tessa, giving her a peck on the cheek. “You look great, T,” he says with a smile. 

She smiles back at him before turning to Kaitlyn. “Please tell me you took a picture of him with a bib.”

“No but that memory will last a lifetime, I’m sure,” Kaitlyn laughs. 

Scott blanches. _Did she just say lifetime?_ Kaitlyn doesn’t seem to have taken a second thought at what she said. _You’re just overanalyzing, Moir. Calm down_.

He turns to his girlfriend, “What do you want to drink, Kait?”

“Vodka tonic please,” she says with a smile before turning back to the rest of the group.

“Coming right up. Anyone else need anything?”

“Actually, I’ll come with you,” Tessa says. “I like to watch them make the drinks.”

Scott smiles and they head for the bar at the other end of the terrace. 

As they’re waiting for their drinks, Tessa turns to Scott, “So is it nice having Kaitlyn here for a bit?” Her face remains neutral. 

“It is, even though it’s only for a few days.” Scott pauses and looks down at his partner. “This isn’t weird, is it? I know we usually don’t bring S.O.’s around very often.”

Tessa bites her lip very briefly but Scott notices. “No, no, of course it’s not weird.” Scott’s not convinced. “Besides, Kaitlyn’s different; she’s one of us, you know?”

“Yeah, of course.” Scott says, his voice drifting as he stares at his partner for a split second too long. 

Bringing significant others into their partnership has never ended well. Scott can remember the feeling he got each time Tessa would introduce him to a new boyfriend. He rarely got a second meeting. Every single one of them seemed like an asshole and he was never good at hiding his feelings. _But there's no way they could all be assholes, right? Or maybe Tessa has a type that exclusively draws her to the jackasses._ Scott focuses back on the bartender finishing up their drinks. This time would be different. He would make sure of it.

They collect their drinks and head back to the group. Kaitlyn seems to fit right in, not that Scott had any doubt that she would. Being a part of Team Canada, there’s a natural comradery between her and the skaters. 

But what is surprising to Scott is how well Kaitlyn and Tessa seem to be getting along. They laugh easily with each other as if they already have their own inside jokes. Tessa and Kaitlyn drift into their own conversation as Scott, Patrick, and Eric discuss their summer plans. 

Kaitlyn leans against the railing, holding her nearly empty drink as she listens to Tessa talk about her cottage on Lake Huron.

“It’s kind of like my private bubble, you know?” Tessa says with a trancelike quality to her voice. “I really need that personal time every once in a while to recharge otherwise I can get a little difficult to be around. Just ask Scott,” she says with a laugh. 

“Does Scott go up there with you sometimes?” Kaitlyn asks casually.

“A bunch of times,” Tessa says, before quickly adding, “I mean, along with the rest of the Moir’s, of course.”

“You guys are kind of like one big family then, aren’t you?” Kaitlyn says with a slight sadness that Tessa doesn’t seem to pick up on.

“Yeah they’re kind of like my family too, you know? I’ve known them since before I can remember,” Tessa says wistfully. 

Kaitlyn takes a long sip of her drink, emptying it. An uneasiness creeps over her that she can’t quite explain. She turns to back her boyfriend and indicates she’s ready to head out. 

Kaitlyn and Scott say their goodbyes and fall into an almost awkward silence as they walk to the hotel, hand-in-hand. Neither of them has anything to say but they do have a similar inexplicable anxiousness that seems to settle deep within them. A good night’s rest will probably settle the nerves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope everyone's enjoying the story so far. And don't worry, the angst is coming ;) Comments are always appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So I'm going to be moving the timeline forward again as opposed to staying in the Stars on Ice time frame - there's a few more 2015 events I want to touch on before the end of this fic and I want to make sure I get to them. This is a bit of a filler chapter but the next one should be longer. Thanks for reading!

Tessa aimlessly twirls her ring as the woman across from her gathers her notes. She just landed from Vancouver twenty-four hours ago and has hit the ground running. She’s trying to get as much done in these few weeks she has at home before jetting off again; this time abroad and across the Atlantic to Scotland. Gold Medal Plates has asked her and Scott to join their overseas excursion, which in any other case would be a dream, but Tessa recently found out that she and Scott weren’t the only Olympic gold medalists on the trip; Kaitlyn would be coming along as well. 

After spending some time with Scott’s now longterm girlfriend, Tessa has truly grown fond of the curling champion. Kaitlyn is not like any of Scott’s previous girlfriends; she’s independent, she’s confident, and she understands the demands of Scott’s schedule and lifestyle as a fellow athlete. Ever since Stars on Ice, Tessa’s developed a real connection with her and is beginning to visualize a future where Kaitlyn is more than Scott’s girlfriend. However, going on a virtual vacation with Kaitlyn and Scott is a few steps further along on the road to that future than Tessa’s comfortable with at the moment. 

“Are you ready, Tessa?” the red-haired interviewer sitting across from her asks. Tessa’s living room has transformed into a makeshift studio in a matter of hours. A local London lifestyle magazine has requested to do a day-in-the-life piece about Tessa and she quickly agreed, staying true to the “say yes” mantra she implemented soon after Sochi. 

She smooths her skirt over her legs. “Yes, of course. Ready when you are.” 

The interviewer, Jasmine, indicates to her photographer to start rolling. 

The interview is fairly easy so far – Jasmine asks relatively basic questions that Tessa’s answered dozen of times in the past year or so. That quickly changes as Jasmine’s questions shifts to more personal questions.

“How has your partnership with Scott changed since Sochi? I’d imagine the two of you don’t see each other as often now that you aren’t training as much?”

Tessa’s momentarily stumped. She doesn’t want to reveal too much about their personal lives, especially since Scott isn’t here to answer for himself. 

“The partnership’s good, actually.” Tessa decides to go vague as she shifts in her seat. “We still see each other plenty to work on our show programs and to do events here and there.” 

“But I assume you aren’t together nearly as often as you were when you were competing. There must be some kind of a void, right?” Jasmine doesn’t let up. She’s savvier than Tessa initially took her for.

“Yes, I suppose there is a schism but I think that’s what’s supposed to happen when partners stop competing. Scott and I are more like co-workers in that sense. We’re also good friends, of course, but we go to work, we do our jobs, and at the end of the day we go home. And when the work element is eventually removed, I suppose we will grow apart to some degree.” Tessa pauses before continuing, contemplating a topic she’s either consciously or subconsciously ignored thus far.

“Now that we’re all but retired, I assume our lives will naturally disentangle from each other. At some point we’ll probably both get married, we’ll have families of our own, pursue different interests, and so on. It’s what happens to every ice dance partnership.”

“Except for the ones who get married,” Jasmine corrects. 

Tessa’s breath hitches in surprise. “Yes, they would be the exception,” she states matter-of-factly with a blush creeping up her neck she hopes is obscured by her makeup. 

The interview wraps up soon after and Tessa has her house to herself again. She cleans up what’s been left by the magazine crew and repositions her furniture to their intended places, her mind racing with what she said in the interview just an hour ago. Up until that point she hadn’t really let herself think about what these next five-to-ten years would hold for her and Scott’s relationship. She knows the show skating life can’t last forever; biology will catch up with them eventually. 

She also knows that life will take them in separate directions. Scott’s already on the path. Tessa could easily see him marrying Kaitlyn. She really is perfect for him, the more she thinks about it. Their personalities match each other perfectly, unlike her and Scott, Tessa thinks. Kaitlyn is outgoing, Tessa is not; Kaitlyn is more of a “guy’s girl,” Tessa is more of a “girlie-girl,” (a trait she loves about herself, thank you very much); Kaitlyn is in love with Scott, Tessa is not. 

Tessa leans back on her coach, pressing two fingers to the bridge of her nose to stave off a tension headache she knows is coming. She pulls out her phone and runs her thumb through her contacts, settling on Scott’s and presses “call.” 

The phone rings three times before she hears a muffled, “Hello?” from Scott. She glances at the clock on her mantle, which reads 11:38. _Shit _, she thinks. She hadn’t realized how late it was.__

__“Hey Scott, were you asleep? I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize how late –“_ _

__“No, no I’m awake. I was just resting my eyes.” Tessa smirks, recognizing the lie in Scott’s voice. “What’s up kiddo?”_ _

__“Nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice but I should let you get back to _resting your eyes_.”_ _

__Scott pauses on the other line. “Did something happen? You sound a stressed.”_ _

__“No I’m fine. Seriously, I should let you get back to Kaitlyn.”_ _

__“Kaitlyn isn’t here. She’s back in Winnipeg for the week,” Scott says with a sigh._ _

__“Oh, I thought she got rid of her condo already,” Tessa says with surprise in her voice. She’d thought he and Kaitlyn were living together in Scott’s new house._ _

__“No we kind of put the brakes on that for the moment,” Scott says, exasperation creeping into his voice. “She wants to get some distance or whatever before we go to Scotland. I guess she’s nervous about this little vacation we’re going to be taking in a few weeks.”_ _

__Tessa raises her eyebrows. Okay, so maybe her skating partner and his girlfriend weren’t as far along on that path to the future she’d just discussed with Jasmine as she’d thought. She takes a beat before replying, “Well it’s not really a vacation, right? I mean I’m going to be there too so it’s not exactly a _romantic getaway_ or anything,” Tessa says with a laugh._ _

__Scott doesn’t say anything. Tessa thinks she may have dropped the call before Scott says in neutral tone, “Yeah, right, that’s what I’ve been saying to Kait.”_ _

__Tessa feels an unusual awkwardness come over her that she rarely feels with Scott. She sits up a little straighter. “Well, anyway, I should let you go. I just wanted to check in. But you should talk to Kaitlyn; make sure she knows there’s no pressure with this trip. We’re all there to have a good time, right?”_ _

__Scott takes a deep breath. “Right. Anyway, it’s always nice to hear your voice, T.” “Sleep well,” he adds with a softness that wasn’t there before._ _

__“I will. Goodnight, Scott.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next, Scotland :)


End file.
